PEORIA, AZ — ABC15 is learning new details about the teenager charged in a fatal crash just before Thanksgiving in 2022. Peoria police confirm the 17-year-old is being charged as an adult. ABC15 obtained new records Friday as the case moves through the courts and families hit work to remember their loved ones.

“I went to the cemetery this morning and left some flowers and said hello to her and Jace,” Sarah Harbeke said.

It’s been two years since she lost her little niece Evie and Evie’s father, Jace Hochstetler, just days before the holidays.

“Thanksgiving is next week and our family is not whole,” Harbeke said.

In November 2022the two were in a car with Hochstetler’s new fiance, Elizabeth Simpson. Friends said her three children, Harley, Cash and Cruz were also in the car

“She was so bright and lively and beautiful,” Harbeke said. “I know Jace was a very good father and they loved each other very much.”

But their lives were cut short. Peoria police said Simpson was hit by another car when she turned onto 107th Avenue near Deer Valley Road. The only survivor in Simpson’s car was Cruz.

Police previously told ABC15 they believed the other driver, a 17-year-old, was speeding and impaired at the time of the crash. He survived and was arrested in 2023.

“It’s nice now that Jace has been placed with Evie so we can see them at the same time,” Harbeke said.

In April, loved ones were able to help Hochstetler and his daughter rest together. It was something the community helped make it possible through donations.

“I engraved his name on the bench,” Harbeke said. “And just through GoFundMe and all the support we’ve gotten. That’s how we managed to do it. Because without their help, we’d probably still be trying to figure it out.”

But the family’s push for justice isn’t over.

“We’ll never forget that,” Harbeke said. “But with her still open and moving around the yards like we can’t heal, it’s getting harder and harder.”

Peoria police confirmed the teenage driver is being charged as an adult. Court documents show he faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder. ABC15 is not naming the teenage driver at this time as we wait to get more information from police.

The trial date has been postponed several times, but a new date is set for January.

“We will get justice for our family one day,” Harbeke said.

As she and her family wait for that day, Harbeke has an important message for Valley drivers.

“You just have someone who can get you home safely,” Harbeke said. “You don’t deserve and don’t deserve to lose someone you love.”

Police said the teenage driver is still in custody. Court records show he pleaded not guilty.